Weekly Interview #2 - David Finley

Tell
us about yourself and your work.

It's
always a strange experience talking about myself, but here goes.
First, I have a beard and I'm a huge Beatles fan. My beautiful wife
tells me those two traits aren't necessarily related, but who can
say? Cats are generally more likable than dogs, but I have one of
each, and both are pretty awesome. Having a dog is really great for
getting me outside, and since we live within walking distance of the
ocean, I get to take in some really breathtaking sights.

Most
days, I like to write about or draw pictures of things I'm interested
in, whether it's a talking orange, an alcoholic donkey, or a tribute
piece to John Lennon. I also run a blog geared toward artists and
creative people called, The
Haven for Scofflaws.

The
term 'Scofflaw' was chosen because artists tend to be misunderstood.
When I say 'artist', I am referring to visual artists, as well as
musicians, writers, dancers, and like minded individuals. We're sort
of a peculiar lot, so I wanted to make a blog with articles geared
toward the creative personality with some humor thrown in.

If
you're a regular reader of my site, I like to affectionately refer to
you as one of my Scofflaws, and hope the term creates a sense of
belonging and community.

Jokingly,
I call myself the Grand Poobah of all Scofflaws because the idea of a
Grand Poobah of some secret society seems funny to me. I became
fascinated with the Royal Order Water Buffalos in old Flintstone
cartoons, and the idea stuck.

Since
art school, I have hadan
inner battle between my fine art and illustration work. Fortunately,
I realized I could split my artistic persona in two and market them
almost like two separate divisions of the same company. I've even
considered trying a slightly different variant on my name for the
fine art side.

On
the illustration side, I do mostly digital cartoon style illustration
to accompany my writing, however, I've also illustrated book covers,
done interiors for magazines, and I'm working on a
children's book called, ABC,
Witch with
a friend of mine named, Jonathan.
I prefer making simple pieces with strong shapes, and lots of
texture. I don't think a work of art needs to be complicated to be
strong.

From
the fine arts perspective, I like to work with mixed media: mostly
charcoal, collage, ink, scraps of paper, wood, and paint here and
there. The work tends to be more serious in subject matter, and is
often much more personal. It's a bit more cathartic for me than my
illustration, but like a parent who refuses to pick a side, I love
them both equally. Plus, there's something really cool about having
my work hanging in an art gallery, which I still feel a little giddy
about.

The
first gallery piece I sold was a triptych called, The
Constraints of Expectations, which
chronicled my frustrations with the communication barriers between my
Dad and me as a result of his hearing loss.

What
got you started? What keeps you in?

My
Dad probably inspired me more toward art than anyone else. I still
have memories of him at his desk when I was four as he worked on
meticulous illustrations of people with super tight brush line work
for a Commercial art course he was taking in college.

I
would sit beside him bending my crayons to my will until a crude form
of Pac-man could be made out on the page. (it was 1981) We were poor,
but I didn't really know it at that age. So, my Dad, who used to work
at gas stations, eventually sacrificed his art career for his family,
which I completely love him for, but those memories were still strong
enough to start a fire of passion for art inside me that I
can't seem to quench.

My
disposition and personality almost seems to make art my only real
career option. I
don't think I can be happy in the long term doing anything else. That
might sound dramatic to other people, but I've tried doing other
things where the paycheck comes a lot easier with more regularity,
and even the security of reliable income isn't enough. Most recently,
I worked at a ministry doing drama and public speaking, but despite
the highest paychecks I had ever earned doing something some would
call quite noble, the call to art made me miserable at what I was
doing.

What/who
inspires you? In what way?

My
own experiences and relationships inspire what I do more than
anything. I usually have a hard time making a piece if I haven't
emotionally connected with it first. My wife inspires me, as she did
in the piece above called, Songbird.
My cat, Skelly has been a consistent muse, although he passed away
last December, which was incredibly difficult for me. There's a part
of me that still grieves for him.

Yet,
even in his death he has inspired me to explore new territory. For
instance, in the piece below, I was trying to sort out my feelings
about death, spirituality, afterlife, and what I hoped it would be,
so I included him.

I've
also been inspired by a whole slew of fine artists and illustrators,
although I wish we could just refer to them all as artists and drop
the distinctions.

On
the illustration side, I'd say my strongest influences are Bill
Waterson, Mary Blair, Jeff Smith, Charles Schultz, Dr. Seuss, Maurice
Sendak, Shane Glines, Kazu Kibuishi, Tadahiro Uesugi, and the Walt
Disney studio. There are a lot more artists, I study and follow, but
these have had a profound impact on me, particularly Mary Blair. Her
work is equal parts simple and deceptively complex.

On
the fine arts side there is Kara Walker, Francis Bacon, Banksy,
Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, William Kentridge, Claude Monet, Sally
Mann, Alberto Giacometti, Marc Rothko, Marc Chagall, Vincent VanGogh,
Pablo Picasso... well, the list goes on. But most of my influences
are post mid-nineteenth century artists. Picasso is probably my
favorite despite some of the flack he takes. When I saw Guernica for
the first time, it blew me away.

What
is art for you? Examples of "real art"?

Art
is truth. Art is observing and communicating.

It
becomes most "real" in relation to the person it is
impacting. For some, it is a painting like the Mona
Lisa because
that painting represents what art should be to them. It's a powerful
emotional experience. To be honest, I much prefer DaVinci's Last
Supper to
the Mona Lisa.
In essence, it's the audience that is responsible for defining a
piece of art because their interaction is necessary to complete the
equation. What would visual art be with no one to see it?

Real
art for me is John Lennon's song, Watching
the Wheels which
became an anthem for me as I dreamt about when I would be free
of a job that was hurting me emotionally. Real art is Bill
Waterson's Calvin and Hobbes strips, with their beautiful ink work
and intelligent writing, reminding me to keep looking at the world
through a more innocent view. Kara Walker's whole room installations
put me in the old south, and remind me we can't always sweep our
darkest moments under the rug. Those works resonate with me, and I in
turn see myself in those works.

Art
in all it's forms is interconnected, and while each type has a beauty
and strength of its own, it is at its most powerful when the various
types of art work together.

I
attended a dance performance with my wife that combined projections
of cubist paintings with dance choreography and music. Each was
beautiful on its own, but the three types of art combined moved me
considerably more than one alone might have. I would love to do
something similar someday.

Plans
for future (of your work)?

For
now, I'd like to keep growing as a visual artist and writer, but I'm
always up for a new challenge.

My
goals for the rest of this year involve working on producing more
work for galleries. I hang in two right now, but I'd like to expand.
Finishing my children's book, putting together material for an
ebook, and publishing some art related articles for a few magazines I
enjoy reading are all on my to do list. Of course, I also want to
keep working on my websites, building an audience and reaching out to
people. It's a lot of work, but I'm happy to be doing what I love.

In
the more distant future, I want to do more directing and writing for
comedy based short films and sketches, and wouldn't be opposed to a
longer project of some sort. I cowrote a song called, "Weiner in
your Face" that I still need to shoot the video for. It's
exactly what it sounds like. We are going to shoot a montage of a
zany picnic where everyone is eating hotdogs. There's also a real
niche to fill producing more entertaining podcasts geared toward
artists.

Anything
you'd like to add? Maybe a song, a picture, hello to friends and
family?

A picture huh?
Here's one I feel really represents me. :)

In
all seriousness, if you're a young artist just starting out,
understand that a lot of hard work is ahead of you. There's going to
be a lot of rejection. Don't compare yourself to others, and don't
make deadlines for your success. Listen to advice and improve where
you can, but keep working. The best thing to do is just make the work
and try to get it in front of people. You will improve more in the
process of doing than in planning.

I
just want to thank everyone who has ever encouraged and supported me
in doing what I love. A special thanks to my wife, Nicole for the
daily support she gives me. And, if I could, I'd like to ask everyone
to check out my website, Haven
for Scofflaws. (www.havenforscofflaws.com)